A modest brick cafe, an hour's drive from the centre of Nottingham, has become a destination on the food lovers' map deep in the heart of Robin Hood country. Eaters with a passion for flavour, freshness and something a little out of the ordinary, can find it at the Harley Cafe, which is currently basking in the glory of being named one of the top three farm shop cafes in the UK.
Don't just take our word for it. Acclaimed travel writer Alastair Sawday included the cafe in his book The Extra Mile, a guide to delicious alternatives to motorway services. Just 11 minutes from junction 30 of the M1 in north Notts, it's worth the diversion if you want something better than a Gregg's sausage roll or a Burger King Whopper.
Wiping food miles from the slate, many of the ingredients used by chefs at the Harley Cafe are either reared, grown, baked or brewed on the Welbeck estate, once the ancestral home of the Dukes of Portland. Open six days a week (don't visit on a Monday or you're be sorely disappointed) the day begins with breakfast and no fewer than 13 different options.
